NSW · Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Beechwood, 2446
Current weather
15.4°CClear sky
86% humidity · 6.2 km/h wind · 22.2° / 9.6° today · 0.7 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Beechwood is a quieter smaller community in Port Macquarie-Hastings, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access against similar regional towns, even with housing affordability and growth momentum holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 914
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,516
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 18 of 329
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,955
- Employment rate
- 59%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 28 / 0 / 4
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $410
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $610
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $595
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 57
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 55
- Against the person
- 19
- Against property
- 21
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 60.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 48 residents
- State safety percentile
- 37.6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -6.5%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order67
- Domestic Violence Related Assault107
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment102
- Malicious Damage To Property110
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault50
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Public transport
17 public transport stops in this suburb
- Beechwood Rd Opp Beechwood Public School
- Koree Island Rd Before Pappinbarra Rd
- Mortons Creek Rd After Beechwood Rd
- Mortons Creek Rd Before Beechwood Rd
- Pappinparra Rd At Pipeclay Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
179 planning-related records
2026· 11 proposals
June 2026
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure750 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Under Assessment
May 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Supporting Development758 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal)8 KANGAROO DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Under Assessment
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation164 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
April 2026
- Shed; Erection of a new structure32 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Under Assessment
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structureNEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation32 WILLOW DENE AVENUE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure152 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport13 STANLEY DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure92 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure12 MORILLA PLACE BEECHWOOD 2446Under Assessment
2025· 16 proposals
November 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure120 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation670 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool139 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure71 KOREE ISLAND ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
October 2025
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use21 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure120 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
July 2025
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use820 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Subdivision793 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation747 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure20 STANLEY DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
May 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure15 MUNGARA PLACE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure48 KANGAROO DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use820 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Withdrawn
March 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure31 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
February 2025
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use820 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure20 WILLOW DENE AVENUE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
2024· 13 proposals
December 2024
- Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure64 KANGAROO DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation33 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
November 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure86 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use24 STANLEY DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
October 2024
- Temporary building, structure or use; Carport20 RIVER OAKS DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure71 KANGAROO DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
September 2024
- SubdivisionNEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use; Barbecues and other outdoor cooking structures39 KOREE ISLAND ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
August 2024
- Dual occupancy; Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation; Supporting DevelopmentSTANLEY DRIVE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
July 2024
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use30 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure38 KITTYHAWK PLACE BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure124 NEVILLE ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Early Education and Care Facility; Centre-based child care51 BEECHWOOD ROAD BEECHWOOD 2446Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
13 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (2)
- Beechwood Public School, Beechwood RdBus stop
- Bundeera Dr at Beechwood RdBus stop
- Beechwood Cafe and BarCafe
- Picnic Table (2)
- Beechwood Uniting ChurchPlace of worship
- Playground (2)
- Beechwood Post OfficePost office
733 Beechwood Road
- Sports field
- Waste Basket
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Wade ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 3
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 41.7/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 47% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 3173rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1006th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #57 among Country & regional · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #297 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Beechwood Cafe and Baramenitiescafe
- Beechwood Post Officeamenities733 Beechwood Roadpost_office
- Beechwood Public School, Beechwood Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Beechwood Uniting Churchamenitiesplace_of_worship
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Bundeera Dr at Beechwood Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.